Rotary molding machine



MWTCHI 3, 1959 c, CRQWTHER Q 2,875,471

ROTARY MOLDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 11, 1953 e Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR ATTORNEY C. M. CROWTHER ROTARY MOLDING MACHINE III lMl/JW/Alz:

6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR C 0 ns /77. Crow/"her BY 1 Y ATTORNEY March 3, 1959 Filed Sept. 11, 1955 March 3, 1959 c. M. CROWTHER 2,875,471

ROTARY MOLDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 11, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR -Co///'ma /77, Crdwf/ver ATTORNEY March 3, 1959 C. M. CROWTHER ROTARY MOLDING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 11. 1953 ,IINVENTOR Co ////75 /77. crow'f/nar ATTORNEY March 3, 1959 c. M. CROWTHER ROTARY MOLDING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 11. 1953 I w m wf Cal/ins /77 Crow 7 /1e r- 38 BY ,Y ATTORNEY March 3, 1959 c, CRQWTHER 2,875,471

ROTARY MOLDING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Sept. 11. 1953 M a. /a

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C'a/h'ms m, Crowfhe'r 33 BY 2 ATTORNEY Unitid Slams atent ROTARY MOLDING MACHINE Collins M. "Crowther, Baltimore County, Md. Application September11, 1953, Serial No. 379,?

4 Claims. C l. 18 ---20) The present invention relates to improvements in rotary molding machines for .n1olding articles from plastic com positions.

In thisstype molding machine them Ids are usually arranged in a vertical position about theoutside. off'a circular turret or drum. The upper ormale complementof the mold is normally carried on a stationary element; that is, Without any substantial vertical motion, Thetlower part orfemale complement of the mold is norriially carr ied upo n a reciprocatingelement or unit which moves vertically to cause the mold complements to move in and out of, contact with each other for molding jthe articles after a predetermined quantity of ma'terialhas beendeposited withinthe reciprocatingprwfemale portion 'ofithe mold and rernoving the articlefrom the mold prior to. the time itis in location to receive anew charge of material.

invention relates.

'One object of the invention. is to provide an improved operating means and method forclosing and opehing the molds.

1 Another, object of the. invention is to provide a direct mechanical driving rne'ansleadi'ng from thefdrum itself, or from the drum driving means for rqtatin'gthe shaft for closingand opening the rnolds,

Still another objectof the inventio n is to provide an improved means for resiliently supporting the sta t ionary oifinale member oil thedie. i

' A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and improvedieeding mechanism. i

f These andother objects, uses and advantages will be more apparent as the natureof theinvention is more fully disclosed, which con s1 minnow; construction, coini at i nd ra s mept pa' ts l u tra ed in h? accompanying drawings and described in the'following detailed description, in which: J

It is with these featuresv of the machine that the presen t Figure 1 is a view in fro nt'felevation of the machine,

Figure 2 is a planview of th same. Figure} is a sectional plan view talten on the line 3 of Figure l. i

ig re"4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectiqnalviewin elevation taken on the line 45 4 of Figurel. 4

'Figure S isa view in elevation taken along line 5- 5 of Figure 4- showi ng two reciprocating elements, one in itsupp erposition and one iri' its downward position.

' Figure 6"isan enlai ged 'fragmentary view similar to Eisure 5 part y i the reciprocating elements iniditf erent positions. Figure 7 isa vertical sectional vieyvoI one oftlie upper guide members for themeans for operating the eating member. r F igu re8 is'an enlarged plan view of the feeding mecha- Figure 9 is an enlarged vertical view of the material feeding means partly in; elevation and "partly" in section.

Figure 10 is an enlarged sectional viewRaken along line 10: 10' of Figure 8 showing a nor l material feedf evatioiiand partly in section. showing r 2,875,471 P te ted Ma -t 1. 59

Figure 1.1 is a view in elevation. of a form of bushing used to reduce the normal opening ,in the feeding means. Eigure l2tis a sectionalrview' taken along line'1 212 of Figli re.tllillustratihg -thehushing,shownin Figure 11-. Figure 13 is a frag rnenta ry elevational view of the up per part ofamolding machine turretin which the resilient elementsfor theflmoldcompleinentsf are carried in the stationary member, t

" Figure. 14, an enlarged fragmentary sectional view talcen al o' ng line 1 4,- 1;4 of Eigure l l In referring rto the drawings, like I and similar, character references will \be", used to designate the "same Parts throughout the] several views. i

Thefmachineisprovided, with astationary frame 16 upon which'islrnounted afrqtatab'leturretor master mold supportin member 18'." Thelower encl 18f o'fitheturret is mountedin a suitable,bearingcarried on the lower portiqnoflthefframe." The bearing isso arranged as to sup portthe turret in a rotatable vertical position. Secured to the bottom extension 18 of the turret is aring g tflr zltl. Engaging the ring gear is a worm ,2 2 fixedly secured to a shaft which in 'turn' is operated by a motor 26 through a reduction gea'r carried in the casing 28, Thistype drive is: adapted to rotate the turret; at a relati'vely ,slow speed. The[ upper portion of the turret is hollow and open at ithellpfiiiendy as shownat ra t. Withinfthis hollow upper end are aplu ralityof electrical heatingunits (not shown) "which lgeep, the; turret at a predetermined temperature These heating units aresppplied with electricfal cnrrent through the lead-inwiresfi'flr l i T ere, is als'o anadditional heating means on theoutside otfthe" turret, which. is mounted toth frame as shown in, Figure 2; 'Th'i s heating element is in thefformof la shoel31 containing aheating element 32 andis so 1ocatdon the frame as to apply the additionalheat to the outside rof thefturret as the shoe slides along. a smooth circular surface provided therefor at s rm where the material mustibe 'ina. complete molten .state Extending about the outer .periph eryjof tlilturret, or

the master mold carrier are jnrean's forlmountin ga plurality Lial mold supports, or elem ent s. Arnold is norrnally made up of; two complements, as indicated by the numerals 33 and 34. Each mold support [consists of a stationaryelement 3 5ar1d a reciprocatin g ielement 36 whichfare invertical alignment. Eachelement. is adapted to receive one of the mold complements. The means for carrying these rn'old supports consists o f sexf ternal ring with the turret. The top ring}? is adapted to hold the stationary element and rings 29 and 38 are provided with apertures adapted to slidahly receive the reciprocating element. The complement carried by the upper stationary element iS l1QIjII 1al ly th male portion of thejmold, and the complementcarried' irr'the reciprocating element is norma'llylthe fernaleportion of themold.

In each revolution of the turret and withina relatively short distance or the travelofi the turret, there: ciprocating elements jare moved up and down to close and openthe frnold complements for receiving the mold-, ing.material and extracting the molded article.

The materialfrom which the article is molded is of granulated thermostatic plastic resin which is deposited into the remnejmn when the reciprocating elements are in adownw ard position, Themold is then closed f dvi i theecip ati element pwa d vw e t is reta ined for the molding period, Alter the mold is closed the molding material is'melted by the. heat in the turret andjthe 'auxiliary heating shoe31 which is in slid ing contachwith thering 38 of the turret. The mold remains closed for approximately percent of the time it'ftake's the turret to make a complete revolution after which the reciprocating elements are moved downwardly to separate the mold complements. By this time the artiele has been formed and is in a relatively solid state. The article is then removed from the upper complement and as the molds are moved further along. their circular path they again receive a new supply of molding material and the operation is repeated.

The machine is particularly adapted to the manufacture of bottle closures and the like and is sometime referred to as a cap molding machine. However, the machine is not limited to this particular use.

As mentioned hereinbefore, the mold complements are moved in closed position by the reciprocating elements, and the holding is accomplished by a track segment 39, the major portion of which is in a horizontal plane perpendicular'to the rotating axisof the turret and having a short grade 39' and 39" at each end thereof. Between the ends of the'horizontal segments there is provided means for moving the reciprocating elements downwardly separating the. mold complements 'after which the molded article is removed. The reciprocating element travels along its curved path in its downward position to the opposite end 39 of the track segment where it is lifted to a positionto close the mold complements.

For operating these individual mold supports there is provided a pair of cams 40 and 42. These cams are carried upon a shaft 44 adjacent each end of the track segment and are normally fixed in position on the shaft but may be provided with any of the well-known adjusting means such as the studs 46' and 48 and the slot. 50 carried by the cam as shown best in Figure 4. Shaft 44 is rotatably supported by the bearings 51 and 52.

The shaft 44 is driven by a sprocket 53 attached to the shaft 24 by a chain 54 which in turn engages a sprocket 55 carried by the shaft 44. Positioned adjacent the earns 40 and 42 are a pair of slidable vertical reciprocating shafts 56 and 57 which are adapted to slide in bearings 58, 59, 60 and 61 carried by the frame. The cam 42 and shaft 57 are located adjacent the trailing end of the track segment for moving the reciprocating elements downwardly as shown best'in Figures 1 and 4, and the cam 40 and shaft 56 are positioned adjacent the approaching end of the track segment to move the reciprocating element upwardly to close the mold complements. The cams are of such speed and so synchronized as to move the reciprocating element at the proper speed and at the proper time.

In order to move the shaft 56 there is attached thereto a pair of spaced rollers 62 and 63 which engage the face of the cam 40 at points opposite its rotating axis. The same arrangement is also employed to move the sliding shaft 57. Rollers 64 and 65 engage the face of cam 42 in substantially the same manner. .It is seen by this arrangement the sliding shafts are positively moved in both directions.

Each of the reciprocating elements is provided with a roller 66 on its lower end which is carried in a U and closed quickly giving maximum time in which to frame 67. This roller is adapted to roll along the upper surface of the track segment 39. Each of the lower ends of the reciprocating elements is also provided with a second roller 68 extending outwardly from its lower side and opposite the U frame 67 which will later be referred to as the slot-engaging roll.

Secured to the upper end of the sliding shaft 57 is a' member 69 which is supported by a bracket 70. The member 69 is secured to the shaft 57 by a nut 71 and across its inner face is a slot 72. This slot is so located as to have the slot-engaging roll 68 move into the slot as the turret is rotated. As the roller 67 moves of!" the trailing end of the track segment and down the incline 39" the roller 68 moves into the slot 72 in the member 69 at which time the quick acting cam 42 moves the sliding shaft 57 downwardly bringing with it the reciprocating element 36. The sliding shaft 56 is also pro and as the slot-engaging roll 68 enters the slot 73' in member 73, the cam 40 operates the sliding shaft 56 and raises the reciprocating element to a point where the main supporting roller 66 will engage the upper inclined surface 39 of the track segment after which the roller moves to the horizontal portion of the track which will keep the mold complements in closed relationship until the end of the track segment is reached when the operation is repeated.

As previously stated, at the beginning of the track segment there is a slight inclined section 39' and at the end of the segment there is a slight declining section 39". The inclined section 39 is for the purpose of giving a relatively high pressuer to the molding material at the beginning of the travel of the molding operation, and the declined portion 39" is for the purpose of releasing the pressure on the mold complements and to allow for the escape of the accumulated gases just prior to the separating of the mold complements.

By the use -of the earns, the molds may be opened remove the molded article and refill the mold with mold ing material. The operation is positive and there 1s a minimum of working parts having the advantage of less chance for wear and getting out of adjustment.

one end of the shaft 44 a gear 74 which engages a gear 75. Gear 75 is secured to a shaft 76 which extends vertically along the frame of the machine to a point normallyabout the height of the upper end of the turret. On the upper end of the shaft '76 is a sprocket 77 about which a chain 78 is trained to rotate a sprocket 79 which in turn is connected with an article removing wheel 80 by a second chain 82 for removing the article from the upper complement of the mold. The outer periphery of the wheel 80 is provided with a soft spongy rubber substance 81. This rim 81 extends into the path of the article after the female mold complement has been removed. The articles are then dropped to an inclined chute 83 where they travel down the incline to a convenient receptacle.

In order to provide material to the molds there is provided a feeding means comprising a rotary disk 84 in which there are four evenly spaced openings 86, 88, and 91 as shown best in Figure 8. These openings are of such size as to take sufiicient material for mold ing the largest articles of which the machine is' capable. However, if a smaller amount of material is required, the openings are provided with bushings 92 for reducing their capacity. The bushings are provided with flanges 92' to position the bushing within the opening andsupport it in proper position. When a bushing is not required only a ring 93 is used to fill the space, or recess, about the top of the opening which otherwise would be filled by the flange 92' of the bushing. The disk 84 is rotated between upper and lower stationary covers 95 and 96. The feeding means is fixedly secured to the frame 16 of the machine, as shown best in Figure 9 in which the upper cover 96 is secured to the frame 16 by a stud 97. The disk 84 is rotatably mounted between the cover members 95 and 96. The upper cover 95 is provided with an appropriate shaft opening. Fixedly secured to the disk is a shaft 98. The shaft extends upwardly through the opening and above the upper cover 96 and secured to the outer end of the shaft is a star wheel 99. The upper cover is also provided with a material supply opening 100. Over this opening there is fitted one end of a material supply pipe 101. To the outer end of the material supply pipe 101 there is connected a conventional material reservoir. In the lower cover there is provided a single material outlet 102 positioned at a point in the lower cover other than directly below the material opening in the uppercover and in the path of the openings in the disk 84. The opening is also located on the inner side of the cover adjacent the axis of the turret and over l, the path of the mold complements carried on the reciprocating' ele'mentjs when they are'iii the "downwardposi non. Thefsta'r wheel is' of such "siz andsttlociated that it will engage the stationary rnoldj33'"as the'turret is rotated. Thestar wheel is also "adjusted oh the shaft so as to turn the disk t6 a pointin 'w he opening in the disk 84 will coincidej'with 'the enihg in the loweneover plate when thel'ovvei comp rnentsf of the mold pass beneath it.

There must be some cushioning effect between the mold complements after they have been' filled with the molding material. This canbe"donebyprovidirig a e silientmeans on the r'eciprocating"member-as showri'by the springs'21 in Figure]; Thisfis generally the it is done, however a modified form of'resilie'nt support is shown in Figures 13 and t In' this modifiedfor m the flange 31 is slightly thicker and is provided with a recess lofl intowhichfisfi'tte d a bearing 105 for receiving thedie 33. L Over thejbearing 105 is a relatively 'thickf retainingwasherelem'ent106 havinga recessed underside in order toreceiv'e an enlargedf headportion 33' of the die. Above the washer 106 is a coiled compression s ring 7. Theaperture 104 is threaded downwardly frojrnthfe top to a point'well below the uppe'rend of the'nor inal heightfoi the spring; Into the threaded area of theaperture is a plug" 108 adaptedto be screwed dowrifon' theiipper end of the spring 107'for applyingpr'essurejjto the inner end brute die and in the direction of its outer' end," Extending through the washer and plug is a"centlral opening,' through whibh h s a e i', 99 i j 'ti DBJST QcHm T h l n l en 'Qf ie y a h e dv fla dl n jnf i r The opposite end or the stem xte ds some I 1y", thi ug h the plugincluding a bushingmat'er' al1121' Fixedly secured to the outer end] if/the stem is a member, 113'" to which is attached "arms. 1.14, and; 115, These arms are adapted to contact posts 1 1 6 an"d 1117 for slightly rotating the: male 'die r'nemberfilatfa point just after the'reciprocatingfmembers start down the in cline 391of the traclg3'9, justbefor'e tlie female men her is withdrawn, to breakthe seal bet'w'eerithe male portion ofthe die andthe article in order that the spin;

ning wheel 80 may easily remove the article.

This cracking of themale mold by slightly rotating the male member is necessary regardless of whether the resilient means is carried by the'reciprocating element or thestationary element.

In operation the turret is first heated to a predetermined temperature, molding material is placedlin the reservoir which is fed to the disk 84. The machine is then started. Asthe turret rotates the star wheeli'i engages the evenly spaced upper molds 33 rotating the disk which deposits a measured quantity of material into" thfemal com'pl'ements of the molds carried by the reciprocating mold supports. At this point the roller 68 enters the slot 72 of the member 69. The cam rotates to raise the sliding shaft member 56 to a point to place the roll 68 on the inclined portion 39 of the track segment 39. By the continuous rotation of the turret the supporting roller 68 moves up the incline onto the horizontal portion 39 of the track. This inclined portion of the track applies an exceptionally high pressure to the material in the mold as it moves the two mold elements closer together. The combination of the rolls 66 and the track 39 hold the mold complements together at the proper pressures as the molds are moved around the machine by the rotation of the turret. The stationary booster heater shoe 31 supplies an additional amount of heat to either ring 37 or 38 or both, as the case may be, during the first phase of the molding period.

When the end of the track segment is reached, the roller 66 passes down the inclined section 39" of the track relieving the mold of the high pressure within the mold and allowing the accumulated gases to escape.

e slot-engaging roller 68 moves into the slot 12ofth member-6a connected'with the upper'end ofthesli' shaft 57, andtlie cam 42 operates to'inove the re p'- rocatin'g' element to a"downward position; i "When th' reciprocating ineinber has moved the lower mold'complement out of engagement with the molded article, the article comes in contact" withthe rotatingwheel which removes the article from "the upper 'niold complement. The article then drops into the inclined chute 8'3 a'ndfis conveyedto a suitable receptacle. the turret continues to rotate, the lower mold complement comesunde'r the opening in the lower cov'er' 65 whereit. receives an other charge of material and the'operation is: repeated.

While this novel arrangement of the various mechanicalelemeiits shown and described herein provide a simple and practical machine of this type, and while aparticular embodiment 'ofthe inverition has beenshown and described, it is 'no'tintended asallimitation as the scope of the invention is best defined in the appe'nd'ed claims. I claim;'

1. A molding machine having a stationary frame and a rotatable heated mold supporting member mounted thereon and adapted torotateabout a vertical axis, a plurality of evenly spaced mold supporting unitsarranged about the mold supporting member equidistant from its vertical axis, each mold support having' 'an upper stationary member area lower' reciprocating memben'each mold having complementall'elemehts', ones: which is carried bythe stationary "member and theother carried by the reciprocated member, 'a' fixed sta'ti'on'ar'y"track segment supported upon the frame below the reciprocating mold supporting element, the major portion of 'w'hicli'is in a planeper'pendicular' with the vertical axis of the mold supportingme'mber for holding the 'iiiold comple ments in closedvposition for a predetermineddistance of therotary travel of thef mold supporting member and a track engaging membercarried bythereeiprocating members for engaging the upper surface of the'trackfmeans for moving the respective reciprocating members down Wardly after they have passed the trailing end/ofthe track segment to separate the mold complements", means for removirigthe mold articles froirithe'mold and a ma terial handling unit for depositing a molding 'material within the mol d'carried bythe reciprocating members while the mold complements are "separated and'niea'iis adjacent the'opposite en'd'of thetrack segment" for ma ing the reciprocal member upwardly'to closethe molds; the mold opeiiing and closingniea ns compiisiiig a pair of continuously rotatablecams positioriedfoneateacli end of and below the track segment having'means associ atedwith one of the said cams for moving the r'ecip-' rocating member downwardly at the end'ofithe travel'o'f the reciprocatingmember along the tracksegment and means associated with the other 'cam ioiriiovifig the reciprocating member upwardly at a point adjacent the opposite end of the track segment to a point in which the track engaging member of the reciprocating member will engage the upper surface of the track as the mold supporting member is rotated about the vertical axis of the molding machine.

2. A molding machine having a heated stationary frame and a rotatable mold supporting member mounted thereon and adapted to rotate about a vertical axis, a plurality of evenly spaced mold supporting units arranged about the mold supporting member equidistant from its vertical axis, each mold support having an upper stationary member and a lower reciprocating member, each mold having complemental elements, one of which is carried by the stationary member and. the other carried by the reciprocated member, a fixed stationary track segment supported upon the frame, the major portion of which is in a plane perpendicular with the vertical axis of the mold supporting member for holding the mold complements in closed position for a predetermined distance of the rotary travel of the mold supporting member and a track'engaging member carried by the reciprocating members for engaging the upper surface of the track for holding the lower complemental elements upward in contact with the upper complemental element, means for moving the successive reciprocating members downwardly after they have passed the trailing end of the track segment to separate the mold complements, means forremoving the molded articles from the mold and means for depositing a molding material within the mold carried by the reciprocating member while the mold complements are separated and means for moving the reciprocal member upwardly to close the molds, the mold opening and closing means comprising a pair of continuously rotatable cams positioned one at each end of the track segment having a vertical slidable shaft associated with each cam, means on the upper end of the slidable shafts for engaging the lower ends of the reciprocating elements, the vertical slide shafts having means'thereon for contacting opposite points on each side of the respective cams for giving the shafts a positive movement in both directions, the slidable shaft asssociated with the cam adjacent the trailing edge of the track segment being adapted to move the reciprocating element downwardly to separate the mold complements, the slidable shaft associated with the cam adjacent the opposite end of the track segment adapted. to move the reciprocating element upwardly to a point in which the track engaging member of the reciprocating member will engage the upper surface of the track as the mold supporting member is rotated thereby finally closing and holding the mold complements in closed position for a predetermined travel of the mold supporting element.

3. A molding machine having a stationary frame and a heating rotatable mold supporting member supported thereon and adapted to rotate about a vertical axis, a plurality of evenly spaced mold supporting elements arranged about the mold supporting member equidistant from its vertical axis, each mold support having a fixed cooperating upper stationary member and a lower reciprocating member, each mold having at least two. complemental elements one of which is carried by the stationary members and the other carried by the reciprocating member, each upper stationary mold support having a coiled spring associated, therewith for resiliently supporting the upper mold complement, the corresponding mold complement carried by the reciprocating support being fixed to the reciprocating support to reciprocate therewith, a fixed stationary track segment supported upon the frame the major portion of which is in a plane perpendicular supporting member, means for moving the reciprocating member downwardly after it has passed the trailing end of the track segment to separate the mold complements, means for removing the molded articles from the mold and means for depositing material into the mold complement carried by the reciprocating lll'lOid support while the complements are separated, means adjacent the opposite end of the track segment for moving the reciprocal member upwardly to close the mold complements, the opening and closing means comprising a pair of continuously rotatable cams positioned one at each end of the track segment adapted to operate a lowering and a raising elevator for the reciprocating mold supports having means associated with the upper ends of the elevator means for engaging the reciprocating members for moving them in their respective directions.

4. In a thermo-plastic molding machine comprising in combination a rotatable mold-carrying body having a plurality of pairs of cooperating stationary and reciprocating mold supporting elements, each pair of stationary and reciprocating mold supporting elements adapted to support separately a mold complement, means for separating, closing and holding the said mold complements in closed position, a roller carried by the lower end of the reciprocating mold support, said means for holding the mold complements in closed position comprising a horizontal track segment adapted to support on its upper surface the rollers carried by the reciprocating mold support, separate means for opening and separate means for closing the said molds each comprising a vertical reciprocal member and a separate horizontally rotatable cam for operating the reciprocal members, means cooperating between the cam and the vertical reciprocal members for operating the reciprocating member, means on one of the reciprocating members for engaging the roller on the reciprocating mold support for moving the mold support downwardly to open the mold and means on the other reciprocating member for engaging the roller on the reciprocating mold support and moving the reciprocating mold support upwardly until the roll thereon is in a position to roll onto the said track segment, means for heating the said molds and means for rotating the mold carrying body about a central vertical axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,626,860 Mudd May 3, 1927 1,844,700 Stokes Feb. 9,1932 2,155,316 Lauterbach Apr. 18, 1939 2,440,366 Cropp Apr. 27, 1948 2,445,742 Hoch July 20, 1948 2,513,216 Sullivan et a1 June 27, 1950 2,699,574 Gilbert Jan. 18, 1955 

